Field
The present application relates generally to mobile computing devices (smartphones, tablets, PDAs, etc.) and associated application programs, and to systems for automated or semi-automated management of devices used for accessing managed resources of an enterprise.
Description of the Related Art
Many enterprises (e.g., corporations, partnerships, academic institutions, etc.) maintain enterprise computer networks that allow enterprise users to access enterprise resources, such as hardware and software applications for email, customer relationship management (CRM), document management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and the like. Also, many enterprises allow users to access the enterprise network via mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and the like. In some cases, software applications running on the mobile devices exchange data with the enterprise network, some of which can become saved on the memory hardware (e.g., hard drives, SD cards) of the mobile devices.
A growing trend among businesses is to allow employees to use their personally owned mobile devices both to access company resources and the use and access their personal applications and data. This trend, known as BYOD (bring your own device) or BYOT (bring your own technology), significantly complicates the task of protecting enterprise resources, including confidential and/or sensitive information.
Reference numerals used in this specification are generally based on the first figure (in the above listing) in which the numeral appears. A reference numeral with a value between 100-199 first appears in FIG. 1, a reference numeral with a value between 200-299 first appears in FIG. 2, and so on.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that while certain figures of the present disclosure illustrate numerous items, these figures illustrate certain embodiments, and other embodiments may involve more or less than the items shown.